


I Hate Mondays

by Odd_I



Category: Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Chaotic Friendship, Flash Thompson Redemption, Identity Reveal, If You Squint - Freeform, Peter Parker is a Mess, Protective Tony Stark, Spider-Man Identity Reveal, pre Peter/Michelle
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-14
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-23 00:47:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,789
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30047337
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Odd_I/pseuds/Odd_I
Summary: It was a Monday. And Mondays were the worst. That was just a known fact.However, Mondays were especially the worst for teenage superheroes who just so happened to have spent the weekend fighting off the villain of the week. God seriously, people needed to start getting a life. This time it had been a bit more than he could handle if he was being honest. The guy was just a normal human guy but had somehow gotten his hands on alien tech.— OR —Peter's really just trying to get through Monday, but it seemed like Flash had no intention of letting that happen.
Relationships: Betty Brant & Peter Parker, Michelle Jones & Peter Parker, Ned Leeds & Peter Parker, Peter Parker & Flash Thompson, Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Comments: 18
Kudos: 192





	I Hate Mondays

It was a Monday. And Mondays were the worst. That was just a known fact. 

However, Mondays were  _ especially  _ the worst for teenage superheroes who just so happened to have spent the weekend fighting off the villain of the week. God seriously, people needed to start getting a life. This time it had been a bit more than he could handle if he was being honest. The guy was just a normal human guy but had somehow gotten his hands on alien tech. 

Which was annoying, because Peter was  _ sure  _ he and Mr. Stark had gotten rid of all that tech after the Vulture, but it was still out there, somehow. 

Back to the point. 

Peter hadn’t been expecting to chase around some human guy for the entire weekend, but the tech the guy was using allowed him to turn invisible, and he had that stupid gravity gun. And as if that wasn’t enough, he had a  _ real  _ gun. All of it was just a pain in the ass, and he  _ kept escaping _ . 

Last night had been Peter’s last chance. He had really,  _ really _ tried to catch the Invisible Guy, but instead found himself shot in the shoulder and stitching himself back up haphazardly. Of course, Mr. Stark found out, and the night ended with a lecture. And, of course, the Invisible guy had gotten away again.

Because of course, he did. 

And Peter loved Mr. Stark. He really did. The man had really stepped up after the Vulture incident and was a lot more caring and open with Peter. Plus, the Avengers had been pardoned, and that seemed to have taken a weight off of Mr. Stark’s shoulders. Mr. Rogers and Ms. Romanoff were staying at the Compound for now, and the others were out and about somewhere. And that was fine and all, Peter enjoyed hanging out around them, they were lots of fun.

But with them being back and having virtually nothing to do, Mr. Stark was even  _ more  _ insistent on Peter staying on the ground and just helping out the little guy. Which was why he had gotten such a big lecture the night before. Apparently, a guy who was using stolen alien tech to attack people was “too much” for the friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man. 

The Avengers would take care of it, he was told. 

He was pretty sure the Avengers were just bored, but whatever. 

So ya, Peter was in a bit of a bitchy mood today, sue him. It was Monday, he had been lectured until midnight the night before, and his shoulder still hurt like hell, albeit being healed. He had spent the whole day in a rough mood but had somehow gotten through it all without lashing out at anyone. But of course, the last period with Mr. Harrington had to be different.

Because  _ of course, _ Flash had to start pushing his buttons. 

They had been broken out into groups to work on a project, and Peter had somehow ended up with Flash, MJ, Ned, and Betty. Overall, not a terrible group, even though he wasn’t too sure where he stood with MJ. She seemed like she wanted to be friends with him and Ned, but was also a bit standoffish at times. It was weird. 

It was a project on family history though, and they were each supposed to contribute a story about their family. Then, compare stories and find a common theme. Just write it down in jot notes and then present it to the class. Easy peasy. 

Peter had lots of stories. Aunt May and Uncle Ben always made sure to tell him stories about his mom and dad, and about his grandparents. And even if they hadn’t he had tons of stories about May and Ben in general. 

“I guess we can skip over Puny Parker,” Flash said once he finished sharing his story, “He’s just an orphan.” 

“Flash, what the fu—” MJ began, but Peter cut her off. 

“You know what Flash?” Peter grit out, finding himself unable to stop, “ _ Fuck you _ ” 

“Oo did Penis finally grow a pair? You gonna fight back now?” 

“Flash, Peter. Seriously just stop,” Betty gently placed her hands in between them. 

“ _ No _ ,” Peter said, “You don’t get to say shit like that.” 

“Why? You  _ sad _ that mommy and daddy left you? That why you lie about your Stark Internship? You need attention?” 

Peter grit his teeth together. He couldn’t deal with this today. He was already tired, and on edge, and just downright right irritable. But he couldn’t fight Flash. And yet, Flash took Peter’s silence as a reason to continue. 

“That’s what everyone says, you know. You  _ are _ a problem student now Penis, skipping classes, and Acadec practices, failing tests, sleeping in class. It’s all just for attention.” 

“Flash that’s enough,” MJ said, but it wasn’t enough to stop Peter. 

Peter didn’t even register his fist moving until it was just a mere inch away from Flash’s face. Luckily, and thank God for it, he did realize what he was doing and immediately pulled back so Flash wouldn’t get the full force of his strength in the face. Unfortunately, his fist still connected with Flash’s face. 

(Although it did feel just a tiny bit good) 

“What is going on here?” Mr. Harrington shouted and made his way over to the group. But none of them paid him any attention. 

“Peter!” Ned grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled him back slightly, “ _ Dude _ .” 

He was clearly unimpressed. And honestly? Peter was too. Sure, it felt good to hit Flash for once, but he had super strength. If he hadn’t pulled back he could have broken Flash’s entire face. He knew better than that. 

“Fuck you, Parker,” Flash bit out. And even though Peter’s Spidey sense screamed at him, he refused to move. He hit Flash, and he deserved to be hit back. Flash’s fist hit Peter’s nose, and even though it didn’t really hurt, Peter allowed himself to stumble back. 

He had to keep appearances after all. 

“ _ Boys _ !” Mr. Harrington shouted again, “ _ Enough!”  _

Mr. Harrington inserted himself between Flash and Peter and gave them each a harsh glare. Ned was by Peter’s side, holding him back as if he was scared that Peter would lunge at Flash again and  _ God _ . He already felt so bad, he hadn’t meant to scare Ned. 

Betty was on the other side, grabbing tissue out of her bag and shoving it into Flash’s face. Apparently, Peter had still hit him hard enough to give him a nose bleed. 

“I can’t believe this group, of all people, is causing problems right now,” Mr. Harrington sighed, “Detention. All of you.” 

“ _ What? _ ” Betty all but shouted, “But sir! I wasn’t even in the fight, neither were MJ or Ned! That’s not fair!” 

“You were in the group together, and you’re all on a team in Decathlon. I expect you to stop each other when you see fights breaking out. Teams win and lose together, Betty. Take this as your first team loss,” Mr. Harrington sighed.

“Now pack up your bags and go to Mr. Wilson’s classroom. There are only 10 minutes left of class, he won’t mind watching you for the extra 10,” Mr. Harrington continued, “And  _ don’t  _ think about skipping it. I’m letting him and the secretaries know. You’re not to leave.” 

Peter nodded solemnly and shot Ned an apologetic smile. His friend just shrugged, but Peter could tell he was pissed. Ned’s parents didn’t take well to detentions, and this would mean that he would probably be grounded for the next couple of days. 

If only Peter had been able to control himself. 

With a sigh, Peter packed up his bag and promptly left the class. He did his best to ignore all the looks his classmates sent him and kept his head facing the ground. He was ashamed of his actions, especially considering they just landed Betty, MJ, and Ned in detention too. 

The group made their way to Coach Wilson’s class in silence. The man was waiting at the door for them with his arms crossed. 

“Come on, get in. Sit down, and no speaking, no listening to music, no eating. You can leave in an hour and a half,” he said as he ushered them in. 

The five of them shuffled in and took their seats. Peter pointedly ignored every look he could feel coming from Flash. He refused to get into another fight. One was enough. Plus, Aunt May was definitely going to hear about it, and then she was going to tell Mr. Stark, and then Mr. Stark was going to lecture him  _ even more _ . Fuck, honestly he’d probably get grounded too. Hitting someone with super strength was no joke. 

“And put your phone in this bucket, I don’t want to see them out during this,” Coach Wilson walked around, pointing towards the bucket in his hand. 

With a sigh, Peter threw his phone in along with the others. He was supposed to meet Mr. Stark at the tower after classes, but obviously, he’d be late now. Hopefully, Aunt May would call him sooner rather than later, otherwise, the man would throw a hissy fit. 

The first ten minutes passed in silence until the bell went off signaling the end of the day. The bell just seemed to dampen the mood even more, and each of the five students slouched further in their seats. 

Another minute passed before Coach Wilson stood up again. “Well, I have work to do with the football team, but I’ll be right across the hall. The gym has windows, don’t you forget, so I  _ will  _ see if you try to leave. And I’ll be keeping the doors open, so don’t even think about talking.” 

He made his way towards the door, but paused for a moment, before swiftly turning on his heel and marching back to his desk.

“And I’ll be taking these,” he said, grabbing the bucket of phones, “I’ll bring them back in an hour and a bit.”

And with that, he left. 

And all it took was a mere five minutes of silence before Flash decided to speak up. 

“You really had to go and punch me, eh, Parker?” Flash tilted his seat back on its back two legs.

“Shut  _ up _ Flash, we’re already in detention, and he said no talking!” Betty whispered, shooting the other boy a glare. 

“I literally watched him and the football team leave the gym. They’re on the field now,” Flash rolled his eyes, before turning his attention back to Peter, “What? Got nothing to say for yourself, Penis?”

But Peter ignored him and kept his eyes trained on his desk. 

He wouldn’t get in another fight. 

He couldn’t. 

“Flash,  _ seriously _ , just shut up,” Better continued. 

“We wouldn’t even  _ be here _ if it weren’t for Parker,” Flash sighed. 

“That’s not true, and you know it!” Ned shot Flash a glare, “You started it.”

“I didn’t hit him first.”

“But you were making fun of him for being an orphan,” MJ said. 

“Is it making fun of if it’s true?” 

“God, Flash. Why are you  _ so awful? _ ” Betty sighed. 

“It’s fine,” Peter mumbled, “Sorry I hit you.” 

“Sorry, what was that?” 

Peter finally lifted his head from the desk, and couldn’t help the look of anger that went across his face. He already felt bad enough for getting everyone detention, and he was already mad about his day yesterday and now this was just going to lead to another lecture. And Mr. Stark was probably going to ground him, literally. 

“I  _ said _ ,” Peter grit out, “Sorry.”

“Dude, just leave it. You don’t need to apologize,” Ned laid a hand on his shoulder, “Just ignore him.” 

“Ya,” Peter sighed, “But I am sorry, you guys shouldn’t—” 

He cut himself off when he felt a buzz on his wrist. With furrowed eyebrows Peter looked down, just to be greeted with the watch Mr. Stark had given him a few weeks ago lighting up. 

It had been a sort of “I’m sorry I recruited you and then abandoned you for months” type of gift, and it was just supposed to be a way for Peter to remain in contact with Mr. Stark, even if he was in the suit or without his phone. It wasn’t anything fancy really, it was just like a smartwatch but just hooked up with Karen occasionally, and his web-shooters. Or, web shooter, really. If he tapped the button on the side it transformed into a web shooter on that one wrist. It didn’t have a lot of web fluid in it, but it served as a crutch in emergencies. 

And this time, it was lighting up with a message from Mr. Stark. 

_ “Kid, where are you?”  _ it read.

“Peter? Is everything ok?” Ned asked. 

His silence seemed to be noticed by everyone in the room, and now four sets of eyes were on him. 

“ _ God _ , what is it now Penis? Gonna go cry to mommy?” Flash sighed. 

“I’m in detention,” Peter spoke into his watch. It sent the text to Mr. Stark. 

“Uh, ya? We all are?” Betty said, giving Peter a weird look. 

He ignored her. 

_ “You weren’t shot with a bullet last night.”  _ Mr. Stark texted,  _ “Well. You were. But it also released a tracker.”  _

Oh fuck. 

No wonder his shoulder still hurt. If there was some sort of tracker in it his healing abilities would be trying to find a way to heal over it or destroy it. 

That also explained why he was in such a bad mood. His Spidey Sense really was just anxiety made into a superpower, so if it was ever reacting for too long or too hard he got irritated and angry at even the smallest thing. 

Everything made sense now. 

But, uh.  _ Shit _ . 

“Ya, uh, we gotta go,” Peter shot Ned a look. One that hopefully said ‘Spider-Man business’, “Like go now.” 

“We can’t!” Betty protested, “We’re in detention! We can’t leave.”

_ “We ran into him again today. Still up to the same shit,”  _ the text read.

_ “Steve is trying to hold him off, but its a bit hard when he keeps fucking disappearing,”  _

_ “Don’t tell your Aunt I just swore.”  _

“It’s fine,” Peter spoke into his watch once again. 

“It’s not fine, Peter! I’m not going to get another detention because of you stupid boys! It’ll show up on my transcript!” Betty still thought he was talking to her, which was fair, honestly. How were they supposed to know he was talking to his watch. 

But he had to ignore her right now. 

And even more importantly, he tried to ignore the way his heart was pounding in his chest. He should have been more careful, should have been more aware of the signs that something was wrong. But because he wasn’t he was putting all of his friends, and Flash, in danger. 

_ “Nat and I are on our way, but we’re still about fifteen minutes out.”  _

“It’s fine,” Peter repeated. 

It absolutely was not fine. Not fine at all. But he’d handle it. He’d leave the room, try to get away from the school, and put his mask on. The Invisible Guy wouldn’t have to know about Peter Parker, and none of his friends would be in danger. 

“Alright, I gotta go,” Peter gave Ned a look. 

“You’re gonna get another detention,” MJ raised an eyebrow, “And that’ll be three for this semester. That’ll get you off of Decathlon for at least two weeks.” 

“Just say he got sick, ok guys?” Ned chipped in, and God bless Ned. But of course, that wouldn’t work. No one owed Peter anything. 

“No!” Flash shouted, and he took a step in between Peter and the door, “Absolutely not! You’re not leaving Parker, not when it's your fault we’re all here.”

“Listen Flash, I really don’t care right now,” Peter said, “I gotta go.”

“Just sit down Peter, you’re gonna get us all in more trouble,” Betty came up behind him. 

“No, like I  _ really  _ have to go  _ now,” _ Peter insisted. 

He could feel his Spidey Sense starting to tingle more, and he couldn’t tell if that was because the Invisible Guy was getting closer, or if it was because he was aware of the danger now. His hands tensed at his sides as he thought of a way to get out of here. The only way was through the door, and he’d definitely need to push Flash aside to do that, and there was no way of doing that without exposing just how strong he really was. Or, he could just jump out the window. But that would  _ definitely  _ expose him. 

“Seriously, Flash. Just move, or I’ll move you,” Peter said. 

“Is that a threat?” Flash raised an eyebrow and puffed out his chest. 

Peter resisted the urge to roll his eyes, “No, it’s a sugges—” 

He didn’t get to finish his sentence before all the glass from the windows shattered. There was a scream that Peter was pretty sure belonged to Betty, but he couldn’t be sure, because he was immediately in fight mode. 

He spun around on his heels and found himself face to face with the Invisible Guy. Although he wasn’t invisible now, Peter couldn’t identify him with the ski mask that covered his head

“Where is Spider-Man?” the man said.

“What?” MJ was the first to speak up. 

“I know he’s here,” Invisible Guy said, “Tell me where he is, and I won’t hurt you.”

As if to prove his point that he absolutely was not afraid to hurt a bunch of innocent teenagers, he grabbed the kid closest to him, which just happened to be Flash. Peter watched as Flash squirmed, but Invisible Guy had apparently gotten himself some new tech. Some sort of metal glove that was vaguely reminiscent of an Iron Man glove, but less polished. Either way, it definitely held some strength in it.

“He’s not here, dude, what the  _ fuck, _ ” Flash cried out, “We’re  _ high schoolers, _ ”

“I know he’s here,” Invisible Guy repeated, “I’m tracking him. He’s here.” 

Ned immediately shot Peter a look as if to say “Dude what the fuck.” And ya, Peter had to agree. 

Could Mondays get any worse? 

“Oo so scary, you can take down a sixteen-year-old,” Peter rolled his eyes, and  _ what the fuck  _ was he doing? 

Just exposing his identity in the middle of his high school, and taunting the villain of the week while he held his classmate in a chokehold. 

Normal Monday things. 

“Peter _what the fuck_ ,” Betty whispered.

Peter shot her a look, hoping to convey that he did in fact know what he was doing, even if he didn’t. Nope, he was improvising this shit as he went. 

“No, I agree, what the fuck Parker,” Flash choked out. 

“I mean, you literally could have chosen  _ anyone _ , but you chose to take your anger out on a bunch of high school students? That’s weird man,” Peter continued, ignoring all of his classmates. 

“You know,” Invisible Guy said, and promptly dropped Flash. 

At least that was one problem solved. Onto the next one: how to get Invisible Guy out of here and captured, _without_ revealing his identity. 

“I mean ya,” Peter shrugged, “But you’re not gonna like the answer.” 

“Where is he?” Invisible Guy shouted and charged at Peter.

And ya, the answer to Peter’s previous question? Impossible. Not happening. He couldn’t be Spider-Man if he couldn’t protect his friends (and Flash).

So right as Invisible Guy was just mere inches away from Peter, Peter flipped up and stuck his landing on the ceiling. The element of surprise would work for him here, hopefully. He quickly tapped his watch twice and watched as it slowly transformed into his web shooter. 

Without wasting another second, Peter shot a web out at Invisible Guy and jumped down. He stuck the guy’s feet to the ground so he wouldn’t be able to move, and then shot another web out to bind his hands together. 

“You little  _ bugger, _ ” Invisible Guy shouted, and struggled against the webs. His feet were completely stuck, but Peter could see the webs around his hands beginning to give way. Apparently, that glove was  _ really _ strong. 

“Ned!” Peter shouted, “Bag!” 

“MJ!” Ned shouted in return. 

The bag flew at Peter not from Ned’s direction, but instead from MJ’s. He quickly grabbed his proper web shooter from it, and secured them on his wrist. 

“I’ll get you Spider-Man, and I’ll squash you like the bug you are,” Invisible Guy growled. 

“Ya no, honestly that line is getting old. Can’t you villains be creative?” Peter huffed, “Karen, taser webs please.” 

_ “Yes, Peter _ .” 

In the split second that it took for Karen to switch the web types, Invisible Guy broke his hands out of Peter’s old webs and promptly disappeared. 

“ _ Where’d he go? _ ” Flash cried out. 

“Shut up,” Peter said, “I need to concentrate.” 

He closed his eyes and forced his Spidey Sense to work. It was working overtime right now, considering the tracker in him and the whole identity reveal thing. But, with so many people in danger right now Peter hoped it would work. 

And luckily it did. 

He sensed Invisible Guy just a mere few steps away from MJ, apparently, he decided that since she threw Peter his bag she was the best target. 

“Nope!” Peter shouted, and shot out a taser web. 

The electricity was immediately visible, and Invisible Guy became much more visible. He twitched and fell to the ground. 

“Metal conducts electricity, dumbass. And you’ve got a ton of metal on you,” Peter said. 

Invisible Guy said nothing, just twitched on the ground and groaned. 

There was a beat of silence, and for a moment, Peter completely forgot that he had just revealed his identity to four of his classmates.

“ _ You’re _ Spider-Man?” Betty was the first to break the silence. 

Play dumb.

“What’s a Spider-Man?” 

Dumbass. 

“Uh, no,” Peter tried again, “Not me. I’m not Spider-Man.” 

Based on the deadpanned looks all his friends were giving him he figured none of them believed him. Damnit, he’d have to ask Nat to teach him how to lie. 

Or maybe he’d just have to make sure not to use his powers without his mask on in front of a group of people again.

“You’re not the best at lying, Parker,” MJ spoke next. 

“No idea what you’re talking about.” 

Yup, definitely asking Nat to teach him how to lie later. 

“You  _ can’t _ be Spider-Man! He’s so cool, and you’re… you’re… you’re you!” Flash all but shouted, and Peter rolled my eyes. 

“Does that mean I’m cool now?” he turned to Ned. 

Ned nodded enthusiastically, “I think it does. Even without a hat.” 

Peter smiled, before turning his attention back to his watch. He double-tapped it again so it turned back into a normal watch, and quickly spoke into it. 

“Webbed him up, he’s at the entrance of Midtown.” 

Betty raised an eyebrow and gave Peter a look. “Uh, no he isn’t?” 

Peter just smiled and shrugged before spinning out a couple more webs around the guy’s midsection. With one swift motion, he picked up Invisible Guy, made his way to the window, and threw him with a little “yeet!” He used his webbing to lighten the blow, but honestly? The guy was a pain in his ass  _ and  _ threatened his friends. He deserved to be roughed up a bit. 

“Now he is.” 

“What the  _ fuck _ ,” Flash paced around the room, “I can’t believe this.” 

_ “Got it, Kid. Sit tight, we’ll get him.”  _ Mr. Stark’s text popped up on his watch.

“Uh ya, so about this,” Peter shifted uncomfortably, “I kinda need you guys to keep this quiet.” 

“ _ What _ ?” Betty said, “You would instantly become popular if everyone knew.” 

“And then every villain Spider-Man fights would come to Midtown,” MJ deadpanned, “It’s a secret identity for a reason.” 

“Oh,” Better dropped her eyes, “Sorry.” 

“It’s ok. People don’t think of the danger very often,” Peter shrugged. 

“Ok ya sure, Spider-Man is super cool and all that,” Ned interjected, “But how are we going to explain  _ this _ ?” 

He motioned to the room around them. The ground was littered with glass, there was leftover webbing, and footprints on the ceiling. It definitely wasn’t going to be easy to explain, and Coach Wilson was definitely going to know that they hadn’t stayed quiet for an hour and a half. 

“Hey Mr. Stark,” Peter spoke into his watch, “Think you can tell the teacher that uh…. You made the mess in here?” 

_ “I hate kids.”  _ was the only response he got. 

Peter smiled, “Thanks.”

“Mr. Stark will take care of it,” Peter told the group. 

“I don’t know how to process  _ any  _ of this,” Flash sighed, and sat down. 

Peter gave Flash an apologetic smile and shrugged. There really wasn’t much he could do in this situation, and honestly? Peter didn’t know how to process any of this either. His identity had never been exposed, not like this. Before this, all he had to do was trust that Mr. Stark, May, and Ned wouldn’t tell anyone, and that was a pretty easy thing to do. He trusted May and Ned with his life, and Mr. Stark understood the importance of a secret identity better than anyone. 

But now? Now he had to trust MJ, Betty, and Flash. And Peter never thought he’d  _ ever _ have to trust Flash with anything. MJ seemed to have a pretty good understanding, and she was the only one beside Ned who didn’t seem too surprised about his powers which led him to believe she already knew. Or maybe she just had an inkling. Maybe that was why she was always watching him because ya. He noticed that. It was hard not to. 

But that was besides the point right now. 

Right now he was dealing with the fact that his life was literally in Flash and Betty’s hands. 

“Seriously though, guys,” Peter hoped his face only looked half as desperate as he felt, “I really need you guys to keep this to yourselves. I can’t… Spider-Man can’t put my Aunt at risk, or any of my friends.” 

Betty, Flash, and MJ all stared at him for a moment while Ned just nodded along. There was a beat of silence that was somehow so deafening and so terrifying that Peter thought he was going to for sure pass out. But then, MJ nodded. 

“Ya, of course. No one will say a thing,” she looked at the other two, “Right guys?” 

Betty nodded fervently, “I don’t really want another villain coming to Midtown, to be honest.” 

“And Spider-Man helped out my mom a few weeks ago, his secret is safe with me,” Flash said. He looked like he was on the fence, but Peter could tell he was genuinely telling the truth. He wasn’t going to tell anyone. 

And just like that, it felt like a weight had been taken off of Peter’s shoulders. He felt himself physically relax and slump forward before shooting everyone a grateful smile. 

“I guess we’re in the Friends of Spider-Man society now, eh?” Ned said as he grabbed Peter around the shoulder.

“The what?” Peter raised an eyebrow. 

“It’s what I called myself for a while. FOSS, for short,” 

“Dude, that’s so lame,” Flash deadpanned. 

“I think it's catchy,” Betty said.

And ya, maybe it wasn’t going to be so bad to have more people know about his identity. It felt nice, even, to have people who he could count on, and who he could tell stories to. Especially because they wouldn’t scold him like May or Mr. Stark. 

“What the  _ fuck _ happened in here?” Coach Wilson’s voice came from the door. 

“Uhh—” Peter stammered. Fuck, he needed to get better at lying. 

“Iron Man was fighting some bad guy,” MJ interjected quickly, “They crashed through the window.” 

Coach Wilson gave her a blank stare, one that said he obviously didn’t believe her. Not one bit. 

“It’s true,” Flash said, “They’re out at the front doors now, you can look out the window and see them.” 

Peter turned on his heel at that, because he was sure he hadn’t heard Mr. Stark arrive yet. Usually, he always heard the repulsors from miles away. And yet, when he turned and looked down, Mr. Stark and Ms. Romanoff were pulling the Invisible Guy into cuffs.

Mr. Stark looked up then and gave everyone a short wave before flying up to the window. His faceplate opened, and he flashed his paparazzi-ready smile. It was a bit tight though, and Peter knew he was going to be lectured even more later on. Probably something along the lines of how he should have told Mr. Stark that his shoulder hurt, or that he felt off, or whatever. 

God, he was such a dad sometimes. 

“Sorry, teach. Fight got a bit out of hand. I’ll have my people come and replace the windows soon, ‘kay?” Mr. Stark said. 

“Uh—” Coach Wilson stuttered, “It's no problem, sir. Thank you for uh, keeping our students safe.” 

“No need to thank me, I certainly don’t want any teenagers to find themselves in dangerous situations with villains they’re unprepared for,” Mr. Stark shot Peter a look, and Peter had to stop himself from rolling his eyes. 

“Mind if I talk to the kids for a moment? In private?” Mr. Stark asked, “I need to get statements from them, or whatever.” 

“Yes, yes, of course. Take as long as you need,” Coach Wilson said before exiting the room and closing the door. 

Mr. Stark landed gently in the classroom and disarmed his suit. He crossed his arms and stared at Peter for a few beats, waiting for— 

“He’s gone,” Peter said, “I heard him walk away.” 

“Great,” Mr. Stark nodded. He looked at the four other students for a moment, eyeing them all up and down. 

“Ted, good to see you,” he nodded at Ned. 

“Oh my God, Tony Stark knows my name.” 

“He literally called you the wrong name, dork,” MJ said. 

“It was close enough.” 

“So,” Mr. Stark interrupted before the kids could go any further, “They know?” 

“Kinda hard to hide sticking to the ceiling,” Peter shrugged, “But they’re good.” 

All four of them nodded, and Flash looked near ready to shit his pants. Peter kind of hoped MJ somehow captured that in her sketchbook, or at least in her mind so she could draw it later. 

“Good,” Mr. Stark nodded, “Wouldn’t want to hunt down any twelve-year-olds and serve them with a lawsuit.” 

“Oh my God, did Tony Stark just threaten to sue us?  _ So cool. _ ” 

“Ned, shut up,” Betty whispered. 

“No, he’s right. I am pretty cool,” Mr. Stark shrugged, “Now Pete, you gotta come with us. Cho’s gotta take a look at that shoulder. Which she should have done _immediately_ _after_ you got shot, but apparently we need to have the discussion of how telling me about injuries and pain is important.” 

“Uh, what do we tell Coach Wilson? We’re all in detention, Peter can’t just leave,” Betty asked. 

“What the hell did you get detention for? Sleeping in class?” Mr. Stark asked. 

“I punched him in the face,” Peter pointed at Flash. 

“Doesn’t seem like someone you’d want to rely on to keep a secret,” Mr. Stark raised an eyebrow. 

“I— I promise I won’t tell anyone, sir!” Flash squeaked out, and Peter sighed. 

“It’s fine, it was just a fight,” he paused, before shooting Flash a smile, “I trust him.” 

And strangely enough, he did. Maybe not as much as he trusted Ned, but Flash seemed genuine right now. Plus he was never that bad, just mostly annoying. Also, if he did leak his identity, Peter was pretty sure Mr. Stark would deal with it. 

It would all be fine.

“I promise Pe— Parker, I won’t tell anyone,” Flash nodded, and then with a smirk, he added, “No one would believe me anyway, you’re too much of a loser to be Spidey.”

Peter just smiled and rolled his eyes. Maybe Flash wasn’t so bad after all. They’d just have to get over the difference. (And maybe teach Flash some human decency, but they could work on that.)

“Just tell him I got hurt, and that Mr. Stark offered to pay for my medical treatment or something,” Peter said. 

And with that, Peter waved goodbye to his new found… whatever. 

He and Nat took a car back to the Tower so that Dr. Cho could remove the tracker, which was thankfully easy enough, and Peter was back in tip-top shape in mere minutes. 

Mr. Stark did not, in fact, lecture him. He just rolled his eyes and asked Peter to work in the lab with him. And of course, Peter said yes. 

And, as it turned out, they worked on making Peter’s suit bulletproof, and Mr. Stark updated Karen so she could find tracking devices on, or in Peter. 

“I don’t want you in a vulnerable situation like that again, Pete. Not when the Accords are still being ironed out,” Mr. Stark had told him, “I swear I lost a year off my life today.” 

“Everything ended up ok, Mr. Stark. I can handle myself,” Peter nodded to him. Because it was true. He could. He managed the Invisible Guy perfectly fine, and he even got his own little gang in the process! 

Mr. Stark turned around in his chair and looked at Peter. It was the sort of look that Uncle Ben used to give him when he came home all battered up from the park, or from bullies. Peter gulped. 

“I know you can,” Mr. Stark sighed, “But you shouldn’t have to. We’re—  _ I’m  _ here for you, I can protect you.” 

“I know, Mr. Stark. I know you’ll always have my back,” Peter smiled. 

They worked the rest of the night in silence. It was an awkward silence though, and more like a content silence. A cozy silence. 

And honestly? Even though today was Monday, and even though it started off awful, it hadn’t ended up being all that bad. 

And later that night he found himself scrolling through his phone, only to find that he had been added to a group chat titled “FOSS”, with the chat photo being a photo that had made the rounds on social media a few weeks ago. 

It was Spider-Man swinging face-first into a wall because of course, it was. 

But he couldn’t lie, it made him smile. The knowledge that he had so many people who loved him, and were willing to be there for him and protect not only his identity but also  _ him _ … well. It warmed his heart. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed it, leave a comment and a kudos! 
> 
> Also, I thought the whole Friends Of Spider-Man thing was canon, but then I realized I may have picked it up from various fanfics!  
> This may turn into a bit of a drabble collection of Peter and his new, chaotic, friend group! But, well see! 
> 
> Follow me on [Tumblr](https://odd-i-writes.tumblr.com/) and/or [Twitter](https://twitter.com/oddspideyy) to hear me rant about the MCU (currently wandavision and no way home), or to request fics!


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